Pages

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Polpettone - Tuscan Stovetop Meatloaf

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...There are times when my sense of the absurd overcomes common sense. Before I go any further, you need a little background. I've been working with a cookbook that was written for folks who know their way around the kitchen. There are no detailed instructions to take you from the larder to the table in 10 easy steps. There's a list of ingredients and a few charming, but terse instructions that can be summarized as "mix and bake." I've long waged a personal war with recipes that call for a chopped onion or 2 cloves of garlic. My brain is wired to handle balanced equations and specific instructions. What size onion are you talking about? If onions upset me, you can imagine how well I handle an instruction directing me to shape a meatloaf like a football. You'll be even more surprised to learn I tried. Fortunately, I realized it was impossible to fry anything shaped like an American football before reaching DEFCON 1. Undeterred, but taking terrible hazing from Bob, I decided they must have meant a soccer ball. I tried that, too, but my creation collapsed under it's own weight and became a discus. I fell back on my old standby, the salami-shaped cylinder, and fortunately that worked, allowing me to roll the loaf as it browned. I choose this recipe because it's geared to a smaller table and I was intrigued by the fact that it was cooked on top of the stove. It also made a ton of sauce that would be perfect for pasta. Despite the false starts, silliness and instructions lost in translation this is a lovely meatloaf that is perfect for smaller families. Here is the recipe for polpettone - Tuscan meatloaf.

Diretions:
1) Mix beef with prosciutto, egg, cheese and bread, Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. I used a teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and a big pinch of nutmeg.Shape meatloaf like a football, roll in flour or breadcrumbs.
2) Saute onion, carrot and celery in olive oil. I used 2 tablespoons. After 10 minutes, add polpettone, turning to brown on all sides. Add tomatoes and up to a cup of their juice. Cover and let cook slowly, turning frequently to avoid sticking. I cooked mine for 30 minutes. Very carefully remove from pan to a cutting board. Let sit for at least 10 minutes. Slice and serve with lemon wedges. Yield: 4 servings.

Cook's Note: The parsley specified in the ingredient list was never mentioned in the instructions. I added it to the tomato sauce. Next time I'll include it in the meat mixture.

35 comments
:

I could REALLY indentify with your post today. I much prefer an ingredient that says 1/2 cup chopped onion rather than "small onion"...that could mean anything!! Your meatloaf photo is beautiful and I found it very interesting that it is a stove top recipe. I admire your courage with that cookbook haha. Oh, by the way "spice to taste" drives me nuts in a recipe.

What an intriguing recipe. I'm totally with you on the desire for recipe instructions that are completely precise, but then I catch myself writing instructions that aren't always as clear as I'd like too, lol!

Hello Mary, thank you for your comment on our puppy. Last night she cried for 20 minutes. It is pitiful to say the least. She has a plan, I think. She starts with low meow cries then quickly crescendos to an angry loud cry and finally to a whimpering sound before she falls asleep. She needs to adjust to her crate for her own safety. sigh. She is otherwise, an angel. She is already trained to potty outside.

Now the meatloaf. Your text made me smile. I am trying to imagine why a meatloaf cooked on top of the stove is better than the oven. BIG smile. You know me, the easy way out suits me better. I know it is delicious and I like the small size.I will try it in the oven. I hope you aren't disappointed in me!!! LOL.

Have a fun day cooking up a storm. We have our own storm going on here today. Ida is paying us a visit I think.

Katherine, don't feel bad because I do the very same thing with no intention on changing my ways either! :) At this stage I am an "old dog" so for a recipe like this, small onion and 2 cloves of garlic it shall be!

In my mind for something like a meatloaf, those are adjustable items anyway, so if you like onion, add more, if you love garlic, do the same! On recipes where I think the amount matters, I will specify only 1/4 cup of chopped onion or a half tablespoon of minced garlic. I guess I think in a different part of my brain!

Life is too short ladies to get worked up over onions and garlic!

The meatloaf looks great Mary! I am not endeared to any one meatloaf because I like to try different things and no meatloaf was really passed down to me. I love the addition of prosciutto and will try that soon!

And here's how weird I am. I totally understand the football shape thing! :)

It looks like a football to me ;) I like that it's cooked on top of the stove and I would have thought it would have taken much longer than it did. I'm just the opposite... I don't pay too much attention to quantities in recipes!

I almost NEED an amount. I know alot of cooks cook without, but I have never learned how. You almost have to make it more than once to see how much you would like in it. This meatloaf is a lovely thing! Thanks for sharing, as always:)

Aha! You and I are so alike! We like our cookbooks literal and precise! And this plpettone (big polpette!) is wonderful. I love the flavors and the promise of a lot of sauce. Want to try. Husband and I would love this kind of meal.

I'm one of those people that need the instructions to anything spelled out clearly....You had me laughing when you mentioned about a football shaped meatloaf and than a soccer ball shaped one! Yours looks great and it certainly was cooked a bit different than a meatloaf normally is!

This really made me smile. Vague instructions drive me nuts too. Or when you follow a recipe to the letter and realize that there is an ingredient still sitting on the counter that is mentioned nowhere BUT the ingredient list! I will try this, it sounds delicious. But I think I will shape it like yours. We get enough football around here without shaping our food like one! Kathy

I like to think of myself as a free spirit, but when it comes to cooking, I need precise instruction. I was roaring with laughter when you went from the American football to the soccer ball.Yep, I was right there with you. This meatloaf looks very good indeed. Good and delicious twist on a favorite.

My dad made a version of this, but he rolled the meat into small meatballs and cooked them in a tomatoe sauce made from canned tomatoes, onions, garlic and a dash of vinegar and served on spaghetti with grated cheese. It was delicious, moist meatballs and a delicious sauce we would fight over to scrape our bread in the pan.

Site Meter

Privacy Policy

This blog does not share personal information with third-parties nor does it store information about your visit for use other than to analyze content performance through the use of cookies, which you can turn off at anytime by modifying your Internet browser's settings. Third party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a a users prior visits to this website. Google's use of the DoubleClick cookie enables it and its partners to serve ads. This blog is not responsible for the republishing of the content found here on other Web sites or media without the owners permission. This privacy policy is subject to change without notice